As there were still two names that failed to elicit a response by the fifth week into the semester, Coleman, in the sixth week, opened the session by asking, "Does anyone know these people? Do they exist or are they spooks?" . . .

"I was referring to their possibly ectoplasmic character. Isn't that obvious? These two students had not attended a single class. That's all I knew about them. I was using the word in its customary and primary meaning: 'spook' as a specter or a ghost. I had no idea what color these two students might be. I had known perhaps fifty years ago but had wholly forgotten that 'spooks' is an invidious term sometimes applied to blacks. Otherwise, since I am totally meticulous regarding student sensibilities, I would never have used that word. Consider the context: Do they exist or are they spooks? The charge of racism is spurious. It is preposterous. My colleagues know it is preposterous and my students know it is preposterous. The issue, the only issue, is the nonattendance of these two students and their flagrant and inexcusable neglect of work. What's galling is that the charge is not just false—it is spectacularly false."

To be fair to Kerry even under the best of circumstances achieving any traction with the whole Israeli/Palestinian thing is slightly more difficult than threading a needle while riding a unicycle down a mountain through a swarm of Africanized bees. But everyone knows that, so why is there all this pressure to get something done now? I assume it has to do with this administrations long list of various foreign policy failures up until now.

The Israelis and Arabs will make peace when they're both good and ready, and not one minute sooner. I don't see why each American president thinks he can magically make this happen, regardless of the amount of foreign aid we've been sending to both sides over the years.

"Poof" meaning that Kerry is once again surprised that the rest of the world has interests that differ from his. This has been a personal characteristic of his dating back over 40 years. And yet he continued to be wafted up whenever the dems got the chance to preserve or promote him.

Althouse said:"This does seem to open up the Israelis to a charge that they are using homophobic slur against Kerry." vs. the article:"“Poof, that was sort of the moment,” Mr. Kerry said. “We find ourselves where we are.”"

Sorry Ms. Althouse but I don't follow you here. In the article it appears that Kerry used the word poof first.

Incidentally, it appears that there have been no meaningful negotiations for years. Most Muslims believe that Allah demands the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state and that all Jews must be reduced to dhimmis. There are a Muslims who believe that Allah originally gave the land to the Israel but they believe that Jews who do not accept Islam are apostates and have forfeited their rights to the land. Since Muslims believe they must follow Allah, they can not rest until the state of Israel is destroyed and the Jews are defeated and killed or reduced to dhimmis.

The French-speaking Kerry ought to know that each language has its own sound effects and that people often laugh at onomatopoeia from foreign languages. But then, Kerry isn't very bright, and he may be getting used to being laughed at.

"The slur is not "poof" - it's "poofter" That's as ludicrous as thinking someone might mistake "niggardly" for a racial slur!"

Google this:

Secretary I've had enough of this. I am not a courtesan. (moves round to front of the desk, sits on it and crosses her legs provocatively)Biggles Oh, oh, 'courtesan', oh aren't we grand. Harlot's not good enough for us eh? Paramour, concubine, fille de joie. That's what we are not. Well listen to me my fine fellow, you are a bit of tail, that's what you are.Secretary I am not, you demented fictional character.Biggles Algy says you are. He says you're no better than you should be.Secretary And how would he know?Biggles And just what do you mean by that? Are you calling my old fictional comrade-in-arms a fairy?Secretary Fairy! Poof's not good enough for Algy, is it? He's got to be a bleedin' fairy. Mincing old RAF queen. (sits at the desk)

Kerry should be able to put that "poofter" slur to rest with the evidence that he is able to fuck rich women to the point where they give him $7 million sailboats. He is probably the model for the statement by what's his name on CNN that his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, described a lover as a "Baryshnikov of cunnilingus."